


Look to the East

by Brynhildr



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Brotp, F/M, Fix-It, Gen, M/M, Multi, Quest of Erebor, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-21
Updated: 2018-11-01
Packaged: 2019-06-14 04:23:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15380568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brynhildr/pseuds/Brynhildr
Summary: Gimli fell asleep in his bed in the Undying Lands as an old dwarf. He wakes up the next morning a young lad in Ered Luin. What else can he do but run to the Shire and join the company traveling East to reclaim Erebor?Bilbo died a very old hobbit, but wakes up in his smial just days before the quest that changed his life. What can he do but prepare for a dwarf pantry invasion?Legolas stood at the window listening to the song on the breeze, blinked, and fell out of a tree in the Greenwood. What can he do but try to find his dearest friend and change the course of history?The Quest To Erebor begins once more!





	1. The Beginning, Again

**Author's Note:**

> This has been sitting in my phone for ages, then I accidentally reposted a story from months ago this morning and I felt like an idiot... So, here! Have a story. I'll try and update semi-regularly.

Gimli groaned as he rolled over on the bed. His head was aching as if he had partaken in far too much elven wine. His entire body ached in strange places: his arms, his shoulders, his hip. Did he get into a drunken brawl with an elf and not remember it? Did elves even have drunken brawls?

"Legolas, what did I drink last night?" He grumbled as he buried his head deep into the pillows.

"I don't know who Legolas is, but you drank far too much if you can't remember to wake up for guard duty." The deep melodious voice that answered him was not the one he was expecting. He jerked upright and flailed out of bed with a crash.

"Amad!" He cried as he lunged at his mother, tears in his eyes.

"Gimli! What?" She sputtered as he clung to her with a vice grip. 

"Have I left Arda behind to dwell in the halls of our maker?" He groaned. "Alas! I did not bid a final goodbye to my dearest friend!"

"Gimli!" His mother exclaimed in a shaky voice. "What in the Maker's name are you going on about? Did you have some sort of dream vision like your uncle? Did he put one of his funny herbs in your medicinal tea yesterday?"

Gimli pulled back from his mother's embrace and blinked rapidly in confusion.

"Uncle Oin? Yesterday?" Gimli looked around the room with alertness. His boots were shoved under his working desk and his armor was... Very small for a fully grown dwarf. He hastily looked down at his body before scrambling over to the small mirror he kept to perfect his braids.

The young dwarf that ogled him in the reflection was one he had not seen in many many years. He touched his small beard and skinny face with awe. It hadn't been this short and scruffy since...

"Not since Ered Luin," he whispered to himself.

"Gimli? Are you all right? Do I need to fetch a healer?" 

His mother's voice shook him out of his reverie. He turned to her and grasped her tightly in an embrace. 

"I must go!" He exclaimed.

"Yes, you are rather late-"

"Adad left yesterday?" He asked as he whirled around and started packing a small traveling bag with essentials.

"Gimli! You can't be thinking of following the company to Erebor! The king declared you too young-"

"Not to Erebor, to the Shire!" Gimli interrupted his slightly frantic mother.

"The Shire?" She stopped, befuddled. "Whatever could you need the halflings for? Did you get a commission?" 

"Yes," Gimli said as he frantically composed a believable story. "A rather wealthy hobbit commissioned a set of knives and an axe. I must leave immediately."

He grabbed his boots, pulled them on, and laced them with a speed he had not possessed for many decades and grabbed his outer coat before embracing his mother once more.

"I love you Amad! I'll send you a letter as soon as I can."  And with that, he grabbed his axe and raced out the door.

Verthandi stood alone in her son's empty room and sighed.

"Legolas. Sounds like an elf," she muttered to herself as she picked up Gimli's discarded blanket and folded it up on the bed. "Where would he have met an elf?"

......

Bilbo jerked awake as he hit the floor.

" That hurt," he grumbled as he rubbed his shoulder and pushed himself off the floor. He looked around with a frown at his surroundings. He was in his old room in Bag End. He rubbed his eyes several times before he walked over to his little looking glass on the wall and poked himself in he face a few times to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

"I'm young again," he said in awe. He frowned. "It's better that that feeling of floating I've had for ages, but I didn't expect the afterlife to be so... Life like." He said to himself. He poked at himself a few more times before he wandered around the house, deciding to make himself a proper first breakfast.

He was halfway through his plate of mushrooms and mash when he accidentally touched the frying pan with his forearm.

"Arg!" He yelled as he jerked away from the hot metal pan and frowned at the red patch of burned skin. It actually hurt. Nothing was supposed to hurt after you died.

"Mr Bilbo?" a voice floated in through the open kitchen window. "Is everything Alright in there? I heard you holler!"  

A mop of curly blond hair popped up on the other side of the window.

"Hamfast! I just burned myself on a hot skillet. Nothing to worry about." He said dismissively.

"I've got some of that burn lotion from Mrs Bolger if you be wantin it." The worried hobbit replied. 

"It's not bad, my friend. Just took me by surprise." Bilbo responded. He frowned. "Why are you out in the garden?"

"Well, it's Tuesday," Hamfast replied in confusion.

"Is it?" Bilbo asked, uncertainly.

"Why, yes! Remember Heather Cotton's wedding to Fusto Bracegirdle was just three days ago on Saturday. What a fine party it was!" He narrowed his eyes. "You aren't still hungover from the party, now, are you?" 

Bilbo laughed.

"No! I just seem to have been holed up in my library and forgotten the day."

Hamfast grinned.

"Oh! Are you working on your next book then? My wife enjoyed your last one, even if some said it was a tad fanciful!"

Bilbo laughed and nodded.

"Oh, I've got a few ideas!"

The gardener smiled and gestured to Bilbo's arm.

"Well, you head over if you need any of that cream. I'm almost done with the weedin' and I'm into town for my shears to be sharpened."

"Good day then, my friend!" Bilbo said as Hamfast disappeared. He sagged back into his chair. 

The Cotton-Bracegirdle wedding was the talk of the Shire. A young, beautiful girl, only just 33, wed the dower middle aged widower with two faunts left motherless after his wife died of a terrible brain fever. The whole of Hobbiton turned out for the wedding, happy to spread gossip and watch the happy couple dance under the party tree. A truly romantic story where there were only happy endings to be found.

It had been the talk of the Shire for a whole week... until Mad Baggins had literally run off with a group of dwarves and been written off as dead until his unexpected return over a year later.

Bilbo rubbed his face in his hands. He had somehow managed to go back in time. 

Well, he thought resignedly. At least this time he would be ready when Gandalf asked him to go on an adventure.

"Oh, bother. I've got less than a week to ready my house for a dozen dwarves."  

He looked down at his half finished plate.

"Better finish eating so I can be early to the market."

........

Somewhere in the dappled sunlight of the upper branches of an enormous ash tree in the Greenwood, an elven prince jerked out of a reverie shouting, "Gimli!" He flailed like a fledgling duck and fell out of the tree onto the uneven forest floor. The sound of laughter at this ungraceful awakening floated down from above as he scowled up into the boughs of green. 

" Oh! I've not seen you fall like that in nearly three hundred years," the red headed elf snickered as she hopped down gracefully and pulled her friend up by the arms when he just continued to stare at her dazedly.

"Tauriel!" He said with great urgency as he grasped her shoulders in a firm grip. "I must travel west." 

Tauriel stopped laughing immediately and turned pale. 

"You have felt the call to leave this land?" She asked in trepidation? She relaxed minutely when Legolas vigorously shook his head.

"No, I must find a dwarf named Gimli, son of Gloin, of the line of Durin. He will be traveling East from Ered Luin. The spiders are encroaching on our lands and breeding in the darkness of the southern fortress. Kill as many as you can before I return. I bid you farewell."

Legolas released his friend, checked his gear, and started off into the forest, only to be stopped by Tauriel's hand on his arm. 

"Legolas, you go alone? What shall I tell-" 

"Tell my father that there are greater evils in this world than the greed of dragons or dwarves and we must stand together united else the darkness prevail." He paused and frowned. "Also, tell him to send an envoy to the Golden Wood. Lady Galadriel will surely give him counsel if he disregards my words."

"I don't understand," Tauriel replied as Legolas gently bumped his forehead to her's. 

"You are truly one of my dearest friends, and I would have you happy at the end Of all this." 

He smiled brightly.

"I shall return as soon as I am able, but it all truly depends on a hobbit!" 

He laughed as he dashed off through the forest leaving a truly bewildered elf in his wake.

"This will go well," she said to herself as she leaped into a tree and started running north along the branches. "I apologize, my king. I've lost your son. He ran off after a dwarf he saw in a reverie." She shook her head. "He's going to be furious."


	2. Preparations, Introductions, and Moments Along The Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Gimli, son of Gloin, at your service."
> 
> Bilbo will soon be collecting dwarves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You asked for another chapter, here it is!
> 
> We meet more characters, but the main event is still yet to come.
> 
> Enjoy!

Bilbo sat on the wooden bench in his front garden, eyes closed against the bright sunlight, chewing on his pipe stem as he ran his mind over his mental checklist.

Lots of meat, yes, I've got enough to feed ten hobbits and dried meat besides for the journey.

Potatoes and carrots for hearty vegetable stew... Maybe then Ori will eat some vegetables because they aren't green.

Two extra handkerchiefs already packed into his bag with an extra sturdy jacket for warmth.

He'd run letters to his cousins and solicitor just yesterday so he would have a home to come back to with Hamfast caring for Bag End until his return.

Now he just needed to begin cooking. If he starts the baked goods early tomorrow, he should have everything ready by sundown when Dwalin appears.

A light tromp of boots coming up the road startled him from his thoughts of cinnamon biscuits and lemon scones. He blinked against the bright sun and pushed himself off his bench to walk to the gate. Heading up the road at a quick pace was a young dwarf with firey red hair. An axe was strapped across his back, as well as a light pack and bedroll. He walked quickly, but didn't look out of breath, and his young face looked vaguely familiar. Bilbo didn't recognize him as one of his company... Oh, blast! Had he kept his confusion that had plagued him in the last months of his life? He shook himself out of that line of thought as the young dwarf crested the ridge and stopped in front of Bilbo's gate with twinkling eyes.

"Master Baggins!" The redheaded dwarf exclaimed with a smile. "Gimli, son of Gloin, at your service!" He executed a deep bow with his fist pressed snuggly against his heart in a way that Bilbo had come to know as denoting great respect. Goodness, how polite this dwarf is, Bilbo thought.  Then the greeting caught up to him.

"Gimli? Frodo's Gimli?" Bilbo sputtered as he opened the gate between them. The dwarf jerked upright in shock.

"You remember as well?" He exclaimed happily. He bowed once more. "It is truly an honor to make your acquaintance, Ring Bearer!"

"Goodness, come in! And none of that Ring Bearer nonsense, just Bilbo, please. Come in and I'll put a kettle on. It's nearly time for elevensies and I'm certain we have a great deal to discuss!" 

Bilbo ushered the young dwarf into his smial and smiled when the lad automatically hung his cloak on the peg near the door and bent to unlace his boots.

"I see someone has trained you well!" Bilbo joked as he led his guest through the halls to the kitchen where a huge pot of stew was simmering over the coals. "Pardon the mess! I wasn't expecting any company until tomorrow night and I wanted to get ahead on the cooking." 

Gimli stood in awe of the sheer number of sacks of flour and baskets of eggs, fruits, and vegetables stacked atop the counter.

"Mr Baggins, this is enough to feed thirty dwarves, not thirteen!" Gimli exclaimed. "Are you expecting that many more guests?"

Bilbo laughed.

"They decimated my first pantry the first go round, and I thought it might be a good idea to have a few more perishables on the road the second time. Cram is not my favorite food." Gimli made a face at the thought of the tasteless way bread. 

"Aye, cram is the traveling food that never seems to go away." Gimli walked over to the sink and began washing his hands. "Good thing I know the recipe for Lembas, which is much more filling and more pleasant in the tongue."

Bilbo spun around in shock, nearly dropping his full kettle. 

"Lembas! You must have made some very good friends because elves do not give up that recipe easily!" The hobbit laughed. "Go sit by the fire and I'll bring the tea and you can tell me your tale. It seems like it is an extraordinary one!" 

Gimli laughed as he was shooed out of the room.

"Extraordinary and fantastic!" He replied.

.....

"Kili, watch where you are going!" Fili huffed as his younger brother bumped into him once more. The archer was walking forward, but his head was turned sideways, scanning the woods as they walked along the road.

"Quiet, you two!" Dwalin huffed as he marched down the road in front of them both. 

"Sorry!" Kili and Fili chorused with matching grins. Dwalin rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath about immature dwarflings. 

"Hey! We may be immature, but we're not dwarflings! We both reached our majority some years ago!" Kili protested while Fili just rolled his eyes.

"That isn't actually better, Ki."

Dwalin grimaced.

"The line of Durin is a line of self sacrificing idiots that need constant babysitting," he mumbled to himself as he tramped faster down the road with a thunderous frown.

"Don't let mother hear you say that!" Kili called as the two raced to catch up with the large dwarf. "She will try to steal your axe again."

Dwalin just picked up the pace as he grumbled his way down the winding country road.

.....

Legolas frowned as he crouched near the creek for a cool drink of water. The muddy bank was disturbed by footprints. He stood and cast his gaze around the surrounding trees, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. A songbird alighted upon his shoulder and the elf smiled as it searched around in his hair for food. Legolas reached into his pocket for some berries he had recently scavenged and the bird happily ate the offering. 

"Little one, please inform Master Beorn that there are orcs and goblins on the move in his lands." Legolas looked up to the cloud covered mountains that stood between him and the western lands. "They seem to be coming from the mountains, but also from the South." The bird chirped twice before taking flight and disappearing into the trees. Legolas hopped lightly across the water and made his way through the forest at a comfortable run. He never once looked back.

.....

Thorin frowned as he looked at the road in front of him and back to the forest on his left. It was growing dark and he needed to find a place to rest for the night. The directions Tharkun had given him would take him around the forest and not through, but surely going straight through the trees would be a much faster route to his goal. He took one step off the road and into the trees and hesitated. The woods became eerily silent and not a breath of wind reached him where he stood. He blinked.

Had that tree moved? 

He stared at it intently for several moments before he stepped backwards onto the path once more. The trees seemed to loom menacingly above his head.

Maybe this once he'll take the long way 'round.

He continued down the path toward Hobbiton.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you see any mistakes our continuity issues, please let me know!


	3. 14 Dwarves, 1 Hobbit, and 1 Wizard; Some Assembly Required

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date of the now expected Unexpected Party arrives, but there is still much to do, many more characters to find along the way, and a meddling wizard to confuse!
> 
> AKA there's a lot of walking to be done by everyone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank my wonderful friend Rei who listened to me read this chapter to her in voices as we drove to the store yesterday. Thank you for your patience and your timely laughter!
> 
> I'd also like to thank all of you who have left comments and kudos for this work over the past week. You have truly motivated me to keep going with this story!

Gimli woke to the sound of a firm knock thumping on the bedroom door.

"Wake up, Master Gimli!" Bilbo called cheerily through the solid wood. "We have much to do today and Gandalf will be arriving this morning!" Gimli rolled over at the hobbit's sudden excitement and landed upon the floor with a groan.

"First breakfast is waiting for you!" Bilbo called as he headed back down the hall. Gimli squinted at the ceiling in the dim light of early morning. Today was the day the company of Thorin Oakenshield officially formed. 

This was the day that changed everything.

And Gimli would be a part of it this time.

He jumped off the floor and hurriedly changed his clothes. 

"I'm coming, Master Bilbo!" He called as he opened his door and wandered through the halls. The smell of baking bread and cooling muffins hit his nose just before he entered the kitchen.

"That lembas recipe you made yesterday is a fine thing! I've already eaten three!" The hobbit chirped as he peeled potatoes into a bucket. Gimli blinked several times, then burst out in laughter.

"A single bite is supposed to feed grown men for an entire day." The dwarf grinned. "You remind me of Merry and Pippin. Hobbits truly defy all expectations!"

Bilbo blushed but waved off Gimli as he came over to help with the potatoes.

"Your plate is over there, lad. Eat up, then you can help me get all these loaves situated in the pantry to clear off some space." He smiled down at his potatoes. "And we hobbits, especially the Bagginses and the Tooks, defy all  expectations on a daily basis. Why, one of my relatives was large enough to ride a horse! And  Grandmother Adamanta has been known to drink many a Proudfoot and Bracegirdle under the table at birthday parties!"

Gimli smiled as he listened to Bilbo prattle on about his various relatives, eating his cold chicken and tomatoes on toast with great relish and drinking his tiny cup of tea with much care.

The sun rose just as he finished a lavender scone with raspberry jam, the golden light shining brightly into the kitchen and landing on the animated face of his host.

This was going to be a lovely day.

.....

"Excuse me, Master Hobbit!" Kili called out as they walked past a farmer doling out hay to some very fat cattle. The older hobbit looked up in shock and frowned. He leaned on his pitchfork as he squinted at the three dwarves on the road.

"Yes, Master Dwarf?"

Kili smiled and gestured behind him to Dwalin and Fili who were standing farther down the road whispering back and forth angrily.

"My companions and I are headed to Hobbiton before we continue our journey East. Would you be able to direct us to someone willing to sell us ponies for traveling?" The young dwarf did his best impression of puppy eyes as he looked at the suspicious hobbit.

"There is a hobbit behind the Green Dragon Inn that will have ponies for sale," he said at last. 

"Thank you kindly, Sir!" Kili said with a bow before returning to his companions.

"Well, I've found us our ponies!" Kili smirked as he rejoined his brother and the burly guard. "My guileless face and sunny disposition have served me well once more!" He winked at Fili.

Dwalin just huffed and headed down the road again. Kili deflated as he looked after the older dwarf. Fili punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"He's just grumpy and frustrated that you were able to get information when he wasn't because of his thundercloud face." He said in order to cheer up his brother. "Come on, let's catch up before he leaves us behind again."

The old farmer harrumphed as he watched the dwarves disappear over the ridge of the sloping hill.

"Dwarves!" He shook his head and continued stabbing hay with his fork.

......

Bilbo smiled as he sat on his sun warmed garden bench. There was a nice breeze coming over the top of the hill and the flowers were sending out their pleasant perfumes in the morning air. He took a long pull on his pipe before sending out a large, perfect, smoke ring. A lovely day, all things considered. He heard a loud metallic crash through the open window behind his head.

"I'm fine!" Gimli called before Bilbo could get up and investigate. "Just dropped the wash tub on my foot!" 

Bilbo let out a small laugh before closing his eyes and basking once more in the morning air. It wasn't too long before a shadow fell across his face, blocking the sun and its warmth. He blinked and peered up under the shadow of a large pointed hat to see a very familiar wizard smiling faintly down at him.

"Good morning!" Bilbo greeted with a little twinkle in his eye and a smile on his lips.

"What do you mean?"

 Gandalf tilted his head and raised his eyebrow.

"Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?" 

Bilbo felt his nose twitch involuntarily before he stated dryly, "All at once, I suppose." He lifted his eyebrow. "Won't you come in and have a smoke with me?" The hobbit gestured to the empty space on the bench beside him. "It's such a sunny morning, perfect for a pipe."

The wizard blinked several times before he  unlatched the gate and carefully sat on the hobbit sized bench. Bilbo smiled up at him as he offered his leaf pouch.

"Old Toby," Gandalf said as he accepted the small bag and began stuffing the bowl of his pipe, which he had seemingly pulled out of thin air. "My favorite, however did you know?"

"The only people who don't like Old Toby are those who haven't yet tried it," Bilbo replied as he blew a perfect circle into the air. 

"Humph!" Gandalf laughed and blew his smoke ring through Bilbo's. 

"Although I do believe that Brown Wizard friend of yours has been smoking something else entirely." Bilbo continued blithely as his smoking companion choked suddenly.

"Radagast? When-"

"Master Bilbo! I've got the kettle on! It's nearly half past eleven!" Gimli called from inside. Bilbo jumped off the bench and patted the wheezing wizard on the knee. 

"Come on now, Gandalf" he said. "Let's get you some tea to sooth that nasty cough." He said before he opened his round door and entered his smial. "I've got that lovely wine you like so much in the cellar," he called over his shoulder.

Gandalf sat there spluttering for several seconds before he hurried after his smaller friend.

"Bilbo Baggins! What is the meaning of this!" He cried as he entered the beautiful home. "How did you know I was coming?" He stopped short when he entered the kitchen and was greeted by an unfamiliar dwarf.

"Ah! Gandalf! Just in time for a late Elevensies!" The red headed dwarf smiled.

"Do I know you? Have we met before?" Gandalf asked in confusion as he ducked around the chandelier in order to see the young dwarf properly. Gimli frowned and shared a look with Bilbo. "You don't remember?" He asked slowly. "Well, that changes my plans a little bit."

"Remember what?" The wizard asked, now becoming incredibly vexed. Bilbo and Gimli shared another look. "Out with it!" Gandalf exclaimed as he thumped his staff on the floor.

"Gandalf, the last time you saw me was at my mother's funeral, correct?" Bilbo asked as he set a small glass and an opened bottle of wine in front of his guest. The wizard nodded.

"Yes, yes! And I hardly expected you to recognize me at your gate, since that was several years ago." 

Bilbo rolled his eyes.

"Yes, well, the last time I remember seeing you was the day before I passed in my sleep as an old man in the Undying Lands with my nephew on one side and Lord Elrond on the other." 

Gandalf blinked.

"Aye, me as well! Though it was long after Master Bilbo had traveled to the Halls of Mandos before Legolas and I arrived on that fair land. I too passed in my sleep as a very old dwarrow, my dearest friend Legolas watching over me."

Gandalf blinked again.

"We both woke up just this past week, seemingly in the past, before the start of the journey to Erebor." Bilbo continued when Gandalf did not seem to be able to speak.

"We were hoping others had remembered; you, or one of the other companions," Gimli continued the thought. "The quest for Erebor, the Balrog, the fight at the Black Gate? You truly don't remember?"

Gandalf frowned as he shook his head.

"No," he said at last as his eyes seemed to search far into the distance.  "I have no memory of these events."

Bilbo and Gimli sighed in unison.

"Well, we'll have quite a tale to tell before the others get here then!" Bilbo said as he poured himself a glass of wine and took a bracing gulp.

"So, it all starts with an unexpected party-"

.....

"... and I will not have you filching our companions' coin along the way! You are only on this quest because the King trusts your word, for some unfathomable reason, and believes you will be of help. He obviously has not been the one to bail you out of prison time and again-"

"Dori, you know that was one little mistake-"

"Oh, the mistake is that you were caught at all, I know! Look at the example you are setting for Ori. He was asked by Lord Balin himself to accompany the quest as the official scribe and record keeper: a noble and very legal career path. I will not have you squander his hard work with your bets and slight of hand!"

The silver haired dwarf clenched his hands into fists as he stomped down the grassy lane. The countryside passing by unheeded as the brother's argument turned heated.

"And whose slight of hand kept him fed through the hard winters? Hm?" Nori countered, lengthening his stride to walk alongside his fuming elder brother. "And whose information saved the young princes' lives when that assassination plot was brewing several years ago?" Nori adopted an exaggerated look of concentration before gasping theatrically in mocking shock. "Was that me? I do believe it was!"

Ori trailed after his arguing brothers with a tiny grin gracing his lips. It was wonderful to have his brothers together again, even if they were arguing like an angry badger and weasel. The younger dwarf made note of the farms they passed, waving happily at the shocked faces of farmers as the trio of odd dwarves passed by their flowering fields. 

Hobbits, Ori thought, were an interesting race. He hoped that Gandalf's burglar would be amenable to some questions for his book. His first true quest, and he was to immortalize it for posterity! Ori could not contain the spring in his step as he made his way down the lane.

The three passed further into the Shire, leaving a trail of confused and slightly disgruntled hobbits in their wake.

.....

"What?" Oin asked loudly, holding up his ear horn. Bifur sighed and tapped his shoulder before gesticulating wildly in Iglishmek. Oin frowned and looked back to his red headed brother conversing with the rotund dwarf, Bombur, and his hat wearing brother, Bofur. They both had looks of polite disinterest on their faces as Gloin recalled the story of young Gimli, his own son Gimli, receiving his very first axe.

"Brother!" Oin called loudly as he turned around. "Tell us the tale of your wife and the many trials you overcame to become her husband!" 

"Ah! Verthandi, my precious gem! I first glimpsed her at a traveling faire, sitting at her father's stall, selling her family's wares and stealing the hearts of many lads. I knew the moment I laid eyes on her glorious countenance that she was the one for me! Droves of suitors flocked her stall, but when our eyes met across the crowded booth, I knew that she felt as I."

Oin smiled at Bifur as they continued down the lane.

"A much better story to pass the time!" Oin stated loudly as he patted Bifur on the shoulder. The old warrior looked back at his kin, both now walked with an air of abject misery, and grimaced. This was to be a long quest.

"Her legs were stout and her arms strong as an ox!" 

Bifur reached out and snagged a passing leaf and twig and stuck it in his mouth. The sour taste helped reign in his annoyance as Gloin described his wife's mother's diaphanous silver and emerald hair netting.

Erebor was a long ways off yet.

He grabbed another grazing branch and began to chew.

.....

 Balin smiled as he walked westward down the pleasant lane. It had been some time since he had last traveled into the Shire, instead of passing by on his way to Bree, and the blue sky dotted with meandering clouds and green grasses never failed to instill a sense of calm upon him.  His most recent trip to Bree had left him a large coin purse richer, and the prospects for this journey were brightening now that the Grey Wanderer had taken an interest in their quest.

If Thorin succeeded in rallying the clans against the dragon, they might even live to see Erebor restored!

Balin shook his head.

This quest surely meant certain death to them all, at the hands of the dragon most likely, but he could not bank the fire ignited in his soul to see his home, the home of his forefathers, at least once more before he journeyed to the halls of his maker.

"Not getting any younger," he muttered to himself as he picked up his pace. The shadows lengthened as he walked nearer and nearer to Hobbiton, a contract in his jacket pocket for a hobbit burglar, and the friend anticipation of a warm meal promised by a wizard.

.......

Thorin frowned as he looked up the lane. The day was getting later, yet he seemed further and further from his destination every moment. 

"Take a right at the fork just beyond the cherry tree and then a left? Right? No, it was left, at the next crossing." He muttered to himself. As he rounded another hill he found a grandmother and several young children picking wild flowers by the side of the embankment.

"Pardon me, which way to Bag End?" He asked as the children looked up in curiosity.

"Oh, you're going the wrong way, Mr Dwarf!" One of the small boys exclaimed. "You need to go back to the last crossing and take the right side of the fork, then follow the lane all the way into town! Bagshot Row is on the top of the hill!"

"No need to shout," the elderly hobbit complained as she held out her basket and the children deposited their flowery finds into the woven branches. "Young man," she said, gesturing at Thorin with her wooden walking stick, "you will escort me to my home." 

Thorin gaped at her before he graciously offered his arm.

Eventually, he would get there.

.....

"Well," Gandalf said as he sat before the fire. "That is quite a tale."

"But you believe us, don't you?" Gimli asked. 

"Hmm? Of course!" He turned his attention back to the worried hobbit and dwarf in the chairs next to him. "There are too many secrets you both know for it not to have happened just the way you say it. But here are the questions we must then ask: why have you been sent back? By whom? And for what purpose?"

The three all mulled over these questions before Bilbo stood and grabbed the tea tray from the table in front of him.

"I don't know the answers to those questions, but I do know that it is getting late and Dwalin will be here right at dinner time. Gimli, come help me in the kitchen while Gandalf uses his brain."

"You make it sound as if I only use my brain on special occasions!" The wizard called after their retreating backs. The laughter that followed his comment was completely uncalled for, in his opinion. 

"I must call the White Council immediately," he muttered to himself before pushing himself out of the small chair and over to the open window. He whistled a short tune and not long after a songbird landed in his outstretched palm. 

"Little one, I have an important message for Lord Elrond in Imladris. You must remember it exactly."

The bird took off into the darkening sky just as the wizard saw a large muscled figure tromping up Bagshot Row. He turned and walked into the kitchen, careful not to hit his head on the low beams supporting the ceiling. 

"So it begins."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading... Next time: the party begins!
> 
> PS, the Good Morning bit is probably one of my favorite plays on words in this book. Puns, riddles, and word play are intriguing to me and this one always makes me grin.


	4. Food, Food, and More Food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At last, a very much expected party, with many arrivals, and some rather unexpected guests after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for being patient with me, chapter four is finally here. I'm not 100% satisfied with it, but I wanted to get this out to you before my brain started changing things again.

"Dwalin, at your service," the dwarf said with a small bow as he looked over the diminutive being standing in the round doorway.

Who builds round doorways when you can have clean straight lines and angles?

The hobbit was smiling, bright eyes glittering in the receding light of the day. His cheeks were red from the heat of the kitchen, his well made clothes protected by a flour covered apron, a dish towel hanging at his waist. All together a more pleasant greeting than others he had received in the Shire.

"Bilbo Baggins, at yours and your family's," the hobbit responded with a bow. "Please come in," he gestured as he stepped back from the door. "Coat and boots over there and weapons on the table," he said with a wave of the hand. Dwalin saw Tharkun's pointed grey hat and heavy staff leaning next to the door as well as a pair of boots and an axe.

"Am I late?" He asked in confusion. He was certain he had timed his departure to arrive first and get the first measure of the wizard's burglar. 

"What? No, you are the first of the company to arrive," Bilbo said as he guided the large dwarf into the dining room. "It's a bit of a squeeze with sixteen of us in here, but I believe we will fit."

Dwalin froze in astonishment at the table laid before him, truly several tables pushed together, filled with every kind of food imaginable, from entire roasts to baskets overflowing with sweet rolls dotted with raisins. There were roasted potatoes and steaming sausages, jellies and chicken and an emtire goose! Trout with some sort of green leaf surrounding it and a row of meat pies, golden and crispy. His mouth dropped open in shock when he noticed three entire wheels of yellow cheese and six barrels of ale stacked off to the side. But what caught his attention immediately was a plate covered in biscuits, flecked with little crumbles of...

"Chocolate?" He asked as he reached for the tray. 

"Hmm? Oh, yes, but-" Bilbo was interrupted by a firm knocking on the door. "I'll be just a moment! Help yourself!"

Dwalin blinked after the hobbit as he practically skipped out of the room, only to turn sharply at a deep chuckle behind him.

"Master Dwalin!" the wizard in the shadows greeted. "Good to see you found your way in good time."

"Tharkun," Dwalin grunted. "I was unaware you would arrive before us. The others were heading to the inn to meet with you."

"Ah, yes. I was unexpectedly invited for some wine by our host earlier. The time flew by, as it does." The wizard waved his arm about. 

"Hmm," Dwalin hummed as he bit into one of the biscuits and nearly closed his eyes in pleasure as he slowly chewed the sweet, yet slightly bitter, dessert. "Does this Mister Baggins know how to burgle as well as he knows how to bake?" He asked as the wizard sipped his wine from a tiny hobbit sized glass cradled gently in his large hands.

"I can assure you that Bilbo Baggins is, without a doubt, the most qualified person for the position," Gandalf replied as his lips pulled into his trademark mischievous smile. "Mayhaps the only one alive who could fill it." He grumbled to himself.

"Dwalin!" Came a loud greeting from the doorway and the muscular warrior turned in surprise.

"Brother!" He roared as he walked over briskly and bashed his forehead against the elder's skull with a resounding crack.

"I will never get used to that," Bilbo said faintly as he peered around Balin's side. "It looks incredibly painful."

Balin laughed warmly as he patted the hobbit gently on the shoulder. 

"You'll find no head harder in the whole of this land than the head of a dwarf!"

"In more ways than one, I'm sure," Gandalf muttered from his corner.

Both Dwalin and Bilbo huffed in mirth before they were interrupted by yet another knock on the door. Bilbo jumped up straighter and smoothed down the front of his apron nervously before nodding at the brothers.

"That'll be the door. Mead is in the kegs. Try not to eat it all before the others arrive."

The hobbit disappeared around the corner in the blink of an eye before the three occupants of the room were able to reply. Balin blinked as he finally looked around at the many tables laden with food.

"Goodness! This is quite a feast the lad's prepared for us!" 

"Hobbits are known for their love of food," the wizard said as he poured himself another tiny glass of wine. "Even if their dishes are a bit undersized." 

"Maybe you big folks are just oversized," Dwalin smirked as he grabbed another chocolate biscuit and munched on it happily. 

A loud crash in the hallway interrupted them.

"That did not sound good," Balin muttered as they wandered into the entrance hall to see what caused the commotion. A pile of weapons was laying on the floor and next to it Kili was sitting, holding his head and looking up at their wee hobbit host with rounded eyes full of respect. Fili scrambled to pick up the miscellany of blades and placed them onto the table under Bilbo's glare.

"I'll have you know that shoving an armfull of weapons at a hobbit is never a good idea! Not to mention, incredibly rude. Have you no respect for your blades and bow? For Yavana's sake, you are guests, and I'll thank you not to try bossing me around again." Bilbo fussed as he waved his hand around, Kili wincing any time it came close to his head. "Incredible lack of manners. If I didn't know better-" he stopped his rant as a heavy fist descended on the round door once again.

"Oh, bother. Move over so you don't get crushed when they tumble in," he tutted as Fili helped his brother stand and move away from the door. The blond set his knives down on the weapons table next to his brother's bow and frowned when he recognized the axe next to Dwalin's. 

"Ki, isn't that Gimli's axe?" He asked.

But his question was lost in the mayhem that followed as half their company literally fell through the doorway, narrowly missing their hobbit host as he nimbly jumped to the side. The only one left standing upright was Bifur, grinning madly as he chomped on a handful of pansies he had most likely stolen from a passing garden. He gave a short bow and introduced himself in a flurry of old kuzdul and shoved the half eaten flowers into the hobbit's hands.

"Ah, thank you Bifur," he said uncertainly as he looked down at the flowers. "Bilbo Baggins, at your service. All of you come in. Shoes, weapons, and cloaks there. Dwalin will show you the kitchen. I'll have to find a vase."

He wandered off inside the hobbit hole while all the dwarves pulled each other off the floor and started removing weapons.

"Kili, what happened?" Ori said as he carefully slipped his boots off and set them next to his brothers'. "You look rather shaken."

"Master Boggins swiped his legs out from under him and bopped him on the head for having bad manners,"  Fili responded as his brother followed the hobbit with big puppy eyes. "It was hilarious, really."

.........

Thorin came over another of these green rolling hills the Shire seemed to be absolutely riddled with and frowned. There was a dwarf sitting on the side of the road with a large woven basket. The dwarf was slowly braiding strips of leather together as he sat chatting with a bird that seemed to be pecking happily at a piece of bread in the basket.

"Don't you see my predicament, little one?" The dwarf sighed. "Here I sit with all the wisdom I have gained and none of the muscle memory to support it. I will have to begin my training in earnest as soon as I can." He looked up at the little bird who chirped a few times. Gimli then turned his head and raised his arm as he noticed Thorin.

"My Lord! I was sent to find you, so you would make it to table early enough to find food!"

"Gimli?" Thorin finally recognized the red headed young dwarf. "I thought you had stayed behind." 

The young dwarf packed up his basket and sent the bird off with a wave before he turned to face his distant kin.

"I did stay behind, however, I was called to the Shire and have found myself in the company of your burglar and, more recently, the Grey Wizard." Gimli smiled when Thorin began grumbling about the meddling wizard.

"Sent to find me?" Thorin asked as Gimli led him around the hill and up past another fork in the road.

"Yes, Tharkun mentioned that you may have become lost, so Master Baggins sent me to find you after I retrieved the rest of the loaves from the baker." He gestured up the winding lane to a well lit home on the top of the hill. "There is our destination!" Gimli smiled. "Our host has prepared quite a feast!"

Thorin frowned at Gimli's exuberance, but shook off his foul mood at the thought of a good meal before their journey.

"Then, lead on," he said as they crossed through the darkening streets of Hobbiton.

.........

Soon the dwarves all settled in around the table tossing rolls and meat cakes around (Bilbo just rolled his eyes and tossed a hard boiled egg at Bofur when he commented on the lack of spoons. "You hid them where?") before Balin asked the question they were all dying to have answered.

"Master Hobbit," the white haired dwarf raised his voice to be heard over Nori's rather lewd tale of his last *job* in the city of Bree (Dori just covered Ori's ears and glared at his brother until the story reached its natural conclusion: Nori was run out of town by an angry husband, pockets filled with coin, and a belly full of food). "I see that there are two empty place settings at the table. One of our party is not yet arrived, but what of the other seat? Is there a Missus Baggins who will be joining us?"

None among the dwarves expected the raucous laughter issuing from their small host. 

"Are you sure he's not a bit mad?" Kili whispered to Gandalf as they all watched Bilbo laugh until he had tears rolling down his face.

"Mad Baggins?" Bilbo chuckled. "Mad Baggins, married? Oh, good heavens! I have not laughed as much in an age."

He wiped his face with a clean kerchief and hiccupped with little giggles.

"I apologize for my behavior, it is just that I've been known as Hobbiton's Confirmed Bachelor since the year after I came of age and turned down cousin Heather's courting gift at the Midsummer Party in front of half of the Shire."

"And that was a bad thing?" Bofur asked in confusion.

"Oh, yes. She's my fourth cousin once removed on my mother's side and somehow distantly related on my father's side as well. I believe she really only wanted to be known as the Mistress of Bag End, but she was very pretty, and not incredibly dull, so everyone believed it would be a good match."

Gandalf huffed as he reached for a loaf of bread and covered it in herbed butter.

"Anyone who has ever known you would know that to be a horribly erroneous assumption," the wizard muttered.

Bilbo rolled his eyes good naturedly before continuing his tale.

"I had promised my mother, you see, on her deathbed. I would not take a wife just to stave off loneliness or to meet societal expectations. She wished me to marry for love, as she had done, and made me swear not to marry just to save my reputation."

He took a drink and settled back into his chair with a contemplative look on his face.

"I do not know how it is done among your people, but hobbits generally marry just after their coming of age parties, then live together, mostly happily, with their half dozen faunts running constantly underfoot."

"Half dozen?" Dwalin asked with large eyes.

"We hobbits, therefore, who do not find females at all attractive, are usually considered odd, social oddities that respectable hobbits would not deign to socialize with in case it reflect poorly on their own resectability. So, lads who fancy lads normally marry as a way to retain a veneer of respectability in society, while everyone knows the real reason Mr and Mrs Hardo Proudfoot live with Mr Rosco Hardfood,  even if they never speak about it."

Bilbo passed the salad bowl to Bifur, who grinned broadly at the mound of fresh greens.

"I had not stepped out with anyone since the fumblings of my youth, and it was assumed by all that if anyone asked, I would accept immediately so as not to drag the Baggins name through the mud." He shook his head. "It probably didn't help that I'd already had about 10 mugs of ale at that point, so when I turned her down I was quite loud." He winced. "And I may have said that I had a tumble in the hay with her older brother. It was quite the scandal for a month or so before one of my Took cousins ran off to Bree with the help of her brothers to elope with a man. Tall folk are  inherently less respectable than we small folk." Bilbo said with a wink.

"So in one fell swoop, I became the town oddity, the town bachelor, and, for some inexplicable reason, the town babysitter." He turned back to Balin. "So, there is no wife to make my home, and never shall be."

"Oh, Master Baggins! What peculiar societal pressures!" Ori exclaimed with big eyes, pulling a quill and paper out of his pocket and jotting down notes to himself. "Do your women-folk feel the same pressure to marry young? And is six children normal? Do you have many siblings? How did-"

"Ori! You need not interrogate the lad over supper!" Balin chided while passing his brother a leg of lamb. "If he indeed plans to accompany our journey, you will have several months to learn all about hobbit eccentricities."

"But who is the other chair for?" Kili asked as Dori and Ori started to squabble over his notes cluttering the table. "You never said."

Bilbo opened his mouth just as three heavy knocks pounded on the door. Everyone fell silent before Gandalf declared ominously, "he is here." 

Bilbo stood quickly and carefully smoothed down his waistcoat as he purposefully moved to unlatch the door. He took a shaky breath and let it out sharply. "Open the door, you coward," he told himself decisively. The door opened silently as he stepped back and gestured for the two dwarves upon the doorstep to enter.

"Master Baggins, may I present Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror, Heir to the halls of Erebor, of the Line of Durin, and rightful King Under The Mountain." Gimli gestured as Thorin nodded his head curtly. "Thorin, known as Oakenshield, may I present Bilbo Baggins of Bag End, Dwarf-Friend, Elf-Friend, and Expert Burglar." Bilbo bowed deeply with his hand clutched over his heart. 

"At your service," he looked up to see the dwarf's piercing eyes narrowed as they roamed his body from top to bottom before he stepped around the table full of weapons and glanced at the crowded entryway to the kitchen where a dozen pairs of eyes were watching this meeting silently. The wizard stood behind the hobbit, stooped so as not to collide with the rounded ceiling.

"So this is the burglar," Thorin grumbled as he turned his attention back to the small hobbit before him. He walked around until he faced the halfling once more and held back his surprise finding a grin on his face. Thorin shook himself and questioned, "have you done much fighting? What is your weapon of choice."

"My wits, I suppose," Bilbo answered, then grinned. "But I have had some experience with swords and knives in the past. And I've a fair hand at conkers if you must know." He held Thorin's stare for a tense moment. "There's food on the table, if you would care to eat." Bilbo turned and made his way through the dwarves crowding the entryway to the kitchen.

"Gimli!" Gloin exclaimed. "What are you doing here when you should be at home with your mother?" 

"Why don't we return to the food," Gandalf said as Gloin and Oin started fussing over the younger dwarf. "Before Bombur decides to eat it all." Everyone looked back into the kitchen to see that Bombur had never left and already eaten his way through a whole wheel of yellow cheese in their absence. 

"Oh, Pie!" Fili exclaimed as they all rushed back to the tables.

......

Elrond sat in a moonlit alcove as he read through a book of Numenorean poetry. A bright chirp stole his attention from the dark lettering on the pages before him. A song bird perched itself on the carved stone railing. The half-elf reached out his hand towards the bird with a gentle smile.

"Have you a message for me, little one?"

The bird chirped excitedly for several moments before flying up into the eaves and settling down for the night.

"Ada? What did he say?" 

Elrond turned to find his ward silently approaching through the darkened library, bare feet making no sound on the floor. 

"Estel, could you not sleep?" He asked as the young man sat next to the elf and looked out over the moonlit gardens. 

"No," he frowned. "My dreams were restless." He looked up at the roosting bird. "Did Elladan send a message?" Elrond nodded.

"Orc sightings further south," he said as he looked over the peaceful valley and beyond as if he could see through the surrounding mountains. "Elladan and Elrohir will pursue them before they return."

"You are worried," Estel commented quietly. 

"A father always worries over his children," he smiled as he gently squeezed his ward's shoulder. "Enough of that. Tell me what you learned today in the woods."

....

Far to the east and south Galadriel turned from her mirror with a gasp.

"Something has changed," she whispered. "Evil lurks in the deep." 

She took two unsteady steps and fainted into the loamy moss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, again, to everyone who commented on the last chapter. You helped motivate me to actually finish this chapter and post it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Comments are really welcome!


End file.
